Paramount Pictures is a production and distribution company. It is the oldest movie studio in the United States. It has been in existence for 100 years. Paramount is owned by media conglomerate Viacom. Paramount is one of the Big Six movie studios

Paramount Pictures Inc. can trace its beginnings to the creation in May, 1912 of the Famous Players Film Company. Organized in 1914 by a Utahtheater owner, W. W. Hodkinson, Paramount Pictures was the first successful nation-wide distributor. Until this time, movies were sold on a state-wide or regional basis. This was inefficient and costly to producers.

In 1916, Adolph Zukor created a three-way merger of his Famous Players Film Company, Jesse L. Lasky's Lasky Feature Play Company, and Paramount. The new company was called Famous Players-Lasky and grew quickly. Lasky ran the production side. Hiram Abrams was in charge of distribution and Zukor handled the business side of the company.

In 1927, Famous Players-Lasky took on the name Paramount-Famous Lasky Corporation. Three years later, because of the importance of the Publix theater chain, it was later known as Paramount-Publix Corporation. The company went into bankruptcy in 1933. When the company emerged from bankruptcy, it was known as Paramount Pictures, Inc.

The artist Dario Campanile standing in front of the artwork he created for Paramount Studios for their 75th Anniversary logo-redesign. The painting was used as the source for subsequent logo animation. The original is on display at Paramount Studios.